Rain fell like drifting mist, spreading throughout the Rain Hidden Village.
The downpour soaked everyone's clothes to the bone.
Hyuga Arin wiped the water from his face.
"My fighting style is long-range. I can stay here—how about you go in first?"
No one answered him.
Because everyone had already rushed toward the building.
The ninjas moved in absolute silence—until combat erupted, erupting into violent noise.
Hanzo stood beside Hyuga Arin, completely ignoring what he had just said. His eyes never left the distant building, where smoke had already begun to rise.
Someone had used Fire Release, but the falling rain quickly extinguished the flames. In the Land of Rain, fire was never something to worry about.
It seemed Hyuga Arin's idea was impossible.
They really had gone in first—but there was no way he could stay behind alone.
"Let's go," Hanzo said in a heavy voice.
Hyuga Arin showed a hint of regret. If he activated his Byakugan here, he could still strike enemies inside from this position.
But using the Byakugan in front of Hanzo carried too much risk of exposure.
He clenched a shuriken tightly in his hand and followed Hanzo into the building.
The moment they stepped inside, a ninja with a ferocious expression charged straight at them.
"Hanzo!!!"
Bang!
Another ninja leapt out from the side and kicked the attacker square in the face. Hyuga Arin clearly saw the man's facial flesh twist violently in an instant.
It looked incredibly painful.
The enemy's body slammed hard into a nearby wall. One of Hanzo's men moved to finish him off—
Bang!
A fireball smashed straight into the man's head.
[EXP +1247]
The ninja who had rushed forward froze, then turned to look at Hyuga Arin.
Hyuga Arin gave an apologetic smile. The opportunity had been right there—only a fool wouldn't take it.
The ninja said nothing. He simply nodded toward Hanzo and vanished in a blur.
The battle did not slow.
Impacts, collisions, and screams echoed endlessly through the building.
In the shadows, kunai and ninja blades collided, throwing off sparks that briefly illuminated the fighters' faces.
People who should have belonged to the same faction were now slashing at one another without hesitation.
But in the Rain Hidden Village, this kind of "colleague bond" didn't really exist anyway. Once a mission was issued, killing coworkers was no big deal.
What—were a bunch of overworked 007-style wage slaves supposed to show mercy? Their resentment was probably stronger than any ghost's.
Hanzo moved slowly, almost like he was taking a leisurely walk, until he reached the staircase leading upward.
As such a conspicuous target, ninjas constantly tried to rush him down first.
From both sides of the stairwell—and from above—figures kept leaping out, attempting to close in on Hanzo.
That was when Hyuga Arin remembered: he was Hanzo's bodyguard.
The shuriken in his hands transformed into fireballs, launched with terrifying force—not just one, but a storm of them.
With three techniques layered together, and in such a cramped space where dodging was impossible, the attackers were pierced the moment they revealed themselves.
[EXP +1456]
[EXP +1241]
[EXP +457]
[EXP +1478]
Something odd slipped in there—why was that one so little?
Hyuga Arin clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Hanzo didn't need to lift a finger. Anyone who tried to reach him was intercepted by Hyuga Arin.
And in truth, very few even made it that far.
After all, Hanzo's forces greatly outnumbered the opposition.
As they advanced, Hyuga Arin managed to pick up only two drops.
[Nen Recovery Potion]
[Exorcist Skill Fragment (1/8)]
Was the drop rate this good?
Now he only needed two more fragments to completely solve the Caged Bird Seal.
Along the way, he could only pick up drops on the stairwell. The bodies inside the rooms were off-limits—Hanzo was right there.
If he suddenly wandered off to loot corpses, it would look far too suspicious.
They reached the third floor.
Only two floors remained before reaching Shozo's location.
Hanzo's men slaughtered their way through the building with reckless abandon.
But at the entrance to the fourth floor, the situation suddenly changed.
The number of enemy ninjas skyrocketed.
A dense crowd of them formed a human wall, blocking the way forward.
Clearly, the ninjas on the fourth and fifth floors had realized something was wrong and chose to intercept them here.
"So many…" Hyuga Arin's eyes lit up with excitement, and his kunai flew out instantly.
Dense shuriken turned into fireballs, filling the corridor with blazing light.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Technique!"
A massive water dragon formed out of thin air, swallowing every fireball mid-flight.
Water Dragon again?!
This technique was practically street food at this point!
Even if it was missing one character, did they really think Hyuga Arin wouldn't recognize it? This was Kirigakure's signature move!
Where were the Mist Village lawyers—everyone was using their trademark technique!
Even the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, could use it. At this point, no one could even say who owned the copyright anymore.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A low shout came from behind Hyuga Arin.
The walls on both sides suddenly flipped up, forming a barrier in front of them.
BOOM!
The water dragon smashed into the wall. The barrier shattered, and the water dragon dispersed.
One figure after another appeared behind Hyuga Arin and Hanzo.
All of them were Hanzo's men.
Their presence here meant one thing—the enemies below had already been completely wiped out.
"Hanzo, do you even know what you're doing?!" someone at the front shouted angrily.
Hanzo raised a hand, temporarily halting his subordinates. He looked at the man who spoke.
"I remember you. Haruhi."
The fury on Haruhi's face faltered slightly. He hadn't expected Hanzo to remember a nobody like him.
Hanzo spoke as if recalling the past.
"I was the one who gave you your forehead protector."
Haruhi's lips trembled.
"You were the one who gave it to me. Back then, you were the hero who protected the Rain Hidden Village. What are you doing now?! This is treason!"
Hanzo fell silent for a long moment before speaking in a deep voice.
"Me? Treason? Haven't you seen what Shozo has done? He's stubborn and power-hungry, hoarding authority—and he even ordered us to abandon resistance against those who invaded our homeland!"
"The traitor isn't me!! It's Shozo!!"
"Everything I've done is for the Rain Hidden Village, for the Land of Rain. The Land of Rain is crying—Rain Hidden Village cannot abandon its homeland!"
"I am the righteous cause!"
The next instant, every ninja behind him surged forward.
The battle exploded once more.
Hanzo's men charged with blades raised, slashing at the front line. Two of Shozo's ninjas tried to cut down the first attacker from both sides—
But before their blades could fall, their eyes rolled back and they collapsed. Several bees flew out from beneath their clothing.
Murakami Hana followed closely behind.
An enemy ninja rushed at him as well—clearly a jōnin.
The two immediately clashed.
More and more ninjas poured in, colliding with the defenders.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of weapons striking echoed without end.
If he could just unleash a single Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique, he'd earn an enormous amount of experience.
Hyuga Arin hesitated—
Then chose not to act.
From this angle, he'd easily hit his own allies.
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